You throw the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the ball…Of course, baseball fans know that this line from Bull Durham is far from true, part of the humor of the movie and a huge part of the fun of the game. This blog is a space to talk about baseball, being a baseball fan, all of those things that make the game fun and the Angels, because they make baseball fun for me.

A Loony Musical Interlude in between Angels Spring Training Matchups

So, LeAnne Rimes has this song…

Yes, sometimes I like my country a little pop-py. Don’t judge me.😉

Ahem. So LeAnne Rimes has this song called Big Deal. It’s a catchy little tune about a young lady who dumped a guy a while back and, while she’s 99.999…% over him at this point, she’s still plenty miffed that her best friend has started dating him and won’t shut up about how amazing he is. So the young lady is encouraging her friend, perfectly politely of course, to adopt a more tactful topic of conversation…right now.

Anyway, last night Seth and I watched the Giants/Rangers game. Ho Hum. But nothing else was on. Certainly not the Kendrys Morales batting cleanup behind Albert Pujols because Kendrys is looking that good game that I actually wanted to be watching even though it’s only a Spring Training game but couldn’t be watching because none of the stupid networks were airing it…*pauses to take a deep breath…finally*…not that I’m bitter about it or anything even though he hit a home run. *pauses to breathe again*😉 And we capped it off with the Rangers edition of 30 Clubs in 30 Days.

Mike Napoli was heavily featured in this MLBN preseason rundown, naturally, and, also naturally, we kept watching because we both like the guy. He was a great Angel and one of those players you wish all the best…just much, much further away than Texas in an ideal world. It was enjoyable and yet not so enjoyable at the same time and, as Dan Plesac and the Rangers began laying on the Napoli accolades thicker and thicker I was eventually moved to begin singing LeAnn’s catchy ditty: Yeah, you call yourself a friend, but you just keep rubbing it in. Big Deal. So what!…

Seth began cracking up almost immediately and took up the refrain: Who cares! You just got lucky that’s all. It was. Shut up! I swear…

But here we paused and looked at each other giggling, unsure of how to go on because the “candle light and long stem roses nd how you’re falling head over heels, in love…”of the next line, unlike its predecessors, hardly fit Mike Napoli and the Rangers.

And by that point we were both laughing too hard to extemporize any further…and to follow the thread of the rest of the analysis truth be told. Anyway, we both thought we were pretty darned funny…perhaps the Friday night wine ritual helped that sentiment along a bit, but it still seemed worth sharing, especially this weekend. With Rangers/Angels match ups both today and tomorrow, I am sure the Napoli trade and his stellar 2011 season couples with the Angels anemic 2011 offense will be rehashed ad nauseum along with both teams’ offseason acquisition exploits.

Besides, the song, both the original lyrics and our little reworking of them, fits my feelings on the situation perfectly. I’m over the Mike Napoli trade. I am. I didn’t want him traded away, but it’s not like fans have any choice in the matter, and it’s not like he played like this for the Angels anyway. (And don’t bring up playing time. He actually had significantly more playing time for the Angels in 2010 than he did for the Rangers in 2011. The whole playing time thing is a myth.) Don’t get me wrong, last season was painful in bold 48 pt. font italic all caps covered in sparkles, just for good measure…awful, Twilight Vampirey sparkles. *shudders*

…But trading Mathis and acquiring a catcher that seems capable of hitting above the Mendoza line has helped a lot. Retooling the offense has helped even more. I’m absolutely not saying, ‘Who needs Mike Napoli?’ But I am saying, it’s over and done with. I have moved on. I really like the team we have now and I am at peace with the whole trade ick. But, much like the main subject of LeAnn’s song, that doesn’t mean I will ever enjoy hearing the announcers, the press and everyone else go on and on. And on. And on about the whole thing.

8 Comments

If you think losing Napoli hurts you guys, the Jays acquired a horrible closer for him, who left as a FA the next year. And then to top it off, we acquired your light hitting Mathis this year, and kept him. Just remember….it could always be worse.

Yeah, I really don’t get the Mathis aquisition, Bluejaysnest, not that I’m complaining. Either Anthopoulos was feeling extra guilty over the Wells deal or he thinks Dwayne Murphy can work some sort of magic there…but yeah, things could always be worse and your example is a pretty compelling one.😉

LOL! I think we’re rubbing off on one another, Kristen, as this reads like something I would write! Using the “lover” metaphor for my favorite baseballers seems like a natural literary technique. *APPLAUSE*
–Jeff

*bows* Well thank you Jeff. I’ve always liked baseball/relationship metaphores myself but a little rubbing off is certainly a possibility. For writers I think as much as anything else, you are what you read.🙂

Love the analogy Kirsten, I could picture the two of you singing and coming up with the words to the song. You and your husband seem to have a great relationship. Are you going to any Freeway series games? I dont think I will go to the 12:10 game on Wednesday. It would mean taking another vaca day and I am already taking two for the Opener in SD on Thursday and Friday’s game. Also Opening Day at Dodger Stadium.
-Emma

Awww, thanks Emma. He’s a great guy, my husband, and we do have a lot of fun, even goofing over TV on a weeknight. I don’t think I’m going to any of the Freeway exhibition games next week. Opening day tix were expensive. But I have tix to the Saturday regular season Freeway series game at Angels stadium and my stylist thinks she can sell me her tix for Mike Scioscia bobblehead night at your Lady of Chavez Ravine…and for the Gibby bobblehead night in July too.🙂

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